NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - MIAMI (FL) VS AUBURN

March 19, 2022

Sam Waardenburg

Jordan Miller

Kameron McGusty

Jim Larranaga

Bon Secours Wellness Arena

Miami (FL) Hurricanes

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: We're going to get started with our student-athletes from the University of Miami.

Q. Sam, obviously, we've watched your career for, I guess it's -- I've lost count of how many years. This year's been a lot different for you. The development in your game has been astounding, really, in all different ways. Why do you think it all came together for you this year as a shot blocker, with your three-point shot? Probably everything that you wanted all along.

SAM WAARDENBURG: Yeah, being recruited to Miami always seemed like a stretch four. I don't think they recruited me to be a five man. As things turned out this year, we're a bit undersized. We saw an opportunity to play (audio interruption) that we could play at. So over the summertime we worked on that, and that really became our identity. We were going to be kind of a smaller team, fight on offense, scramble on defense.

I'd say my development, I put a lot of that in my last year not playing, spent a lot of time just watching the game, getting assignments from the coaching staff to do reports and whatnot. That just helped me build my basketball IQ, and I feel like it's just helped me immensely on the courts, especially playing the offense we do.

It's kind of like an NBA offense kind of and having a ton of film to watch on that as well. Coach is constantly sending videos and whatnot and that has just helped me so much.

Q. To all three of you, first of all, what do you see from Auburn? I don't know what you guys have watched yet from Auburn. What kind of challenges do they pose? And the second part of the question is a lot of people are surprised to see you guys here. Are you surprised at all to be in the place you're in? At what point in the season did you think that was possible?

JORDAN MILLER: We all know Auburn's a good team. They're pretty big. But we've been playing teams that are pretty big our whole season. Like Sam said, we play small ball five out. It should be a good game. I think, if we play the style of play how we've been playing this whole year, especially towards the end of the stretch of the season, I think we should walk away with a favorable outcome.

Obviously, it's not going to be easy. We're going to dive into the scout a little bit more tonight and figure out what we need to do. But as far as did we see this happening, I think so. We put in a lot of work throughout this whole year. We trust each other. We had some tough losses, but ultimately that's brought us together, brought us closer.

I think this team's ready for the moment. I think we're all excited, grateful to be here, and looking forward to play tomorrow.

KAMERON MCGUSTY: They're a big team. They have a lot of size. They can switch. They're versatile, athletic, they play fast. They're a good team. They definitely give teams a challenge, their scoring, their defense. It's going to be a good game. I feel like we can match up with them well. I feel like, if we just stick to our game plan and do what we're supposed to do, we can definitely give them a run for their money.

Like I say, they're a great team. We're going to have to come out, play hard, stay focused, stick to the game plan, and just do what we've been doing all season. Stay together. That's the most important thing. We know, as a group, as a collective, as a whole, that's when we're at our best, when everybody's doing their job and doing what they're supposed to do.

As far as a surprise, I feel like to any of us, this is not a surprise. We have the utmost faith in each other. We're a close knitted group. We play for each other. And like I said earlier, when we're all playing together, that's when we're at our best. So I feel like we came a long way from the beginning of the season till now. We just love playing, so I'm just excited to go out there tomorrow and continue to shock the world and prove everybody wrong.

SAM WAARDENBURG: When looking at Auburn, I see a lot of similarities. Coach L hinted on this as well, a lot of similarities with Duke. The way their size is. They have a real good shot blocker at center, a real talented four man. We've had our own against Duke, winning it at Duke and having a very close one in the ACC Tournament. We like the matchup, and we're very confident in ourselves. We're very confident that the coaching staff is going to give us a great game plan going into it. As a team, we've still got to watch a little more film tonight and tomorrow morning going into the game.

What was the second question?

Q. Were you surprised where you are?

SAM WAARDENBURG: No, you see the amount of work that these guys and everyone on our team has put in over the summertime, throughout the season, guys getting into the gym. When you see that, you just have full confidence in one another that, if you have an open shot, maybe skip past an even more open guy, you know that guy's putting in work in the off times.

So seeing all that, you have full confidence. This is no surprise to none of us.

Q. Kam, what has Charlie brought to this team? And the second part is yesterday's game was so dramatic and intense. How do you guys reset, refresh and get your minds right for tomorrow?

KAMERON MCGUSTY: I think Coach said it a couple weeks ago. Charlie is for us what Chris Paul was for Wake Forest. He's our quarterback. He gets us in the right sets. He's the one who we trust with the ball making decisions. Plays hard defense. He picks up the opposing team's point guard 94 feet. One of the best on ball defenders in our conference, as you can see being an All Defensive team player. He gets us going.

He's such a big important piece. He's like the glue to all the pieces. It's a blessing to be able to play with a point guard like him. I feel like as a team and individually, we wouldn't be able to, and I wouldn't be able to have the success without him. He's that important to us.

Charlie is such a great player, a great leader, and a great person off the court, too. So I just love playing with him, and it's a blessing that he's here.

What was your other question?

Q. Putting yesterday's result behind you.

KAMERON MCGUSTY: It's always as soon as the game ends, win or lose, no matter the result, it's behind us, and we're on to the next one. Coach L does a great job of preaching that to us. Ever since I've gotten here, he's always been big on that. He doesn't dwell on the past, whether it's positive or negative. It's just next team, next game. Lock in and get prepared and ready to game plan and play.

Q. What NBA team does Miami most favor or resemble, do you guys think? How does that help neutralize size?

JORDAN MILLER: Resemble? I don't know if I could answer that, but I would say we play a pro style type of offense. We have pro level players on this team. I think that's the best way I can answer your question, honestly.

Q. You said you guys watched a lot of NBA films.

KAMERON MCGUSTY: I would say it just depends. We have different concepts. Like for example, we do this thing called a two side. When I watched the film, this was maybe a year ago, the Rockets were doing it really well. So we use a lot of NBA concepts. As you know, Coach L's son is an assistant for the Celtics. So we always take a lot of things from them.

Just all the other teams throughout the league, we take little bits and pieces. So I wouldn't necessarily say it's a specific team, we just run an NBA offense, like Jordan said, and we use NBA concepts.

Whoever Coach L or the coaching staff sees is doing what we need to be doing or they see something, they might take it and put it up on the film before we go to practice. It's just whatever they find, we kind of try to apply it to our system and what we do.

Q. One for Kam, one for Sam. Kam, it's kind of a cliche around tournament time that this team only goes as far as their guards take them. Does that cliche hold as close to the vest with this lineup as any other lineup you've been around?

KAMERON MCGUSTY: Yeah, I would say it does. I wouldn't even necessarily -- I think that our pieces are so important. It's not just our guards. Sam's kind of the initiation to our offense. We come off the ball screen if a team's in drop or if a team's showing, we try to get it back to him so he can make the play whether it's a shot or a pump fake in getting to the basket.

I wouldn't necessarily say it's just the guards that it's going to take us that far. It's just going to be our togetherness. Everybody has a job. Everybody knows what they're supposed to do. When we do it at a high level, we're a hard team to beat.

Q. Sam, everybody's got their role, and you obviously had a nice perimeter game shooting-wise as well. Can you describe what it's like being one of the few big men, the 6'11" guy scattered around these guys, the faster, quicker guys that are more slashers and trying to get out there and pressure? And you're kind of one of the lone really big men in the lineup.

SAM WAARDENBURG: You mean like defensively, how I handle that?

Q. Just all around.

SAM WAARDENBURG: So throughout my basketball development and playing in high school and stuff, I always felt much more comfortable on the perimeter than in the post or anything like that. But having these guys who are all amazing shot creators -- Jordan is probably one of the best cutters that I've played with, and my ability to pass the ball and whatnot and understand how our offense is run and whatnot. It just helps me so much when these guys are working at such a high level in those areas of the game.

Defensively, I feel I can move my feet pretty well. My job is -- playing a bigger, stronger, center isn't too -- playing in a one-on-one battle behind him, I have to get in front of the guy and make sure they are throwing the ball over. These guys help me, and they've done an amazing job this season, and they've been terrific. I give them full credit for all the turnovers that we force. They're just amazing.

It's not that difficult to play with these guys when they're working as hard as they do.

Q. This is for whoever wants to take it. Did you guys see Jabari Smith's dunk, and what did you think of it?

JORDAN MILLER: Yeah, we saw it.

(Laughter).

It was a good basketball play, you know.

SAM WAARDENBURG: We're in a league that has a lot of high talented guys. We've seen guys make plays like that all season long. It's nothing new to us. He's a very talented player, but we're going to have a game plan for him. We're going to have a game plan for all of them, and we're going to be ready.

Q. I'm wondering if Jordan and Kam can both -- not to embarrass Sam, but can you talk about what he brings to the team? He didn't get to play last year at all, and this year's a completely different team with him in there. What does he bring the team?

KAMERON MCGUSTY: Sam is such an important piece for us offensively and defensively. Everybody always likes to talk about our guard play, but Sam's the reason why we don't have any pressure as a unit, just being able to throw him the ball and he can make plays for us. He can stretch other bigs out.

If we have a big that likes to play in the paint, he's going to have to play on the perimeter, or he's going to have to come out of the game. Sam is what gives us our biggest mismatch problem. Just the stuff he does on defense for us, we're asking him to guard dudes who are 7'1", 7'2", 250 pounds, and Sam comes in every day, brings good energy, fronts them to the best of his ability, plays so hard.

I've always known Sam was a shot blocker, but the way he was blocking those shots yesterday, that was just amazing, especially from a guy that typically isn't doing something that he's been asked to do in his life. So I really appreciate all the stuff that he does for us. I feel like Sam doesn't get enough credit, but we definitely wouldn't be the team we are today without him.

JORDAN MILLER: I agree. I'll talk about off the court for Sam. I think he's the best leader that we have. He's more reserved, but he's not afraid to speak up, talk when needed. Honestly, I think Sam's the closest thing we have to a player that's like basically a part -- an extension of the coaching staff, I wanted to say.

If there's ever any conflict, Sam's the one to kind of come separate it and just his IQ for the game is just so smart. And him tutoring these younger players, giving them advice, and keeping us together as a team, I think he does an amazing job. Definitely under-appreciated.

Q. Jordan, you came into the program this year, and it seemed like at the beginning of the year, you were kind of like feeling your way in, a little bit timid, I would say. Then there was a home game, and I'm trying to remember which one it was, where you hit two or three threes in rapid fire succession. It seemed to like turn a light switch on for you.

I know you're not always shooting threes, they're not always there for you, but you have had moments where you've been a scorer as needed for this team. Can you talk a little bit about that evolution for yourself?

JORDAN MILLER: Yeah, it was definitely a harder transition than I thought it was going to be. Obviously, I've got to give credit to my teammates for keeping me positive, and throughout my year, they've done a good job of getting me the ball.

I think the more aggressive I play, the better we are as a whole. Obviously, it starts with them sharing the ball as they usually do.

Most importantly, though, just trying to figure out what my role would be for this team. We all can shoot the ball really, really well, and so seeing that, I try to be the inside presence. Shooting a pretty good field goal percentage. I try to be the one who scores in the paint and really attacks the basket.

Q. Tomorrow night you guys play around 7:45. What do you guys got to do to keep yourselves fresh and ready to go? I know it's a long day. You're not used to playing on Sunday nights around 8:00.

SAM WAARDENBURG: We have an amazing training staff with Phil Baier and Sam Johnson. They work 100 percent every day to make sure we're ready.

It's a bit nice actually having the day off. In the ACC Tournament, it's a bit more difficult when you're playing back-to-back games. We're going to be ready. We're going to make sure our bodies are right for this one.

Q. Coach L told us that the night before yesterday's game he told you that that was Christmas eve and that yesterday was Christmas. So I'm just wondering what message is he giving you today now heading into tomorrow's game? Have you had a message yet, or is that going to come at dinner tonight? Just after the game last night, what's his message going forward?

JORDAN MILLER: I think this is the happiest I've ever seen Coach L since I've been here, if I'm being honest. He's had the biggest smile on his face. I think his biggest message, although we came here as a business trip, is to enjoy it. This is not something that -- it's really hard to get to. We've earned it. Just be grateful for the opportunity we have. Play hard for each other.

We have a lot of older guys on this team. It may be their last year playing college basketball. So play for them. Just leave it all on the court. You're not going to have any regrets if you leave it all on the court.

Q. For Kam and/or Jordan. Was USC's length, was that kind of a nice warmup game in preparation for Auburn as opposed to you guys maybe going into tomorrow having to play maybe a smaller, quicker lineup? It seems like USC maybe is similar in a lot of ways to what you'll see out of Auburn.

KAMERON MCGUSTY: Definitely. We're one of those teams when something gets thrown at us, we have some adversity or we have a situation that challenges us, we always step up to the challenge. So as a team, I think that definitely will help us out.

Auburn has a lot of size. USC had a lot of size, a lot of length. So it definitely is going to help us out. We've played teams like this, for example, what Sam was saying, playing Duke, they're very similar in size, big shot blocker at the five. A four man that can kind of do it all but is still big and physical.

So just another challenge for us, and we're looking forward to it.

Q. Kam, Isaiah the last couple years, just out of necessity, had to carry the offensive load and really handle the ball, I would guess probably 75 percent of the time. This year's he's changed his role, and it's allowed you to flourish more and thrive more on the court than you have any other season really. What has that meant to you on a personal level? Just how he changed his game a little bit. Then also at moments when he's needed, like when he scored the first ten points yesterday.

KAMERON MCGUSTY: Zay's done a really good job this year. As a whole, we're playing so well together and making each other better. Zay may not be putting up the numbers he was last year, but he's still the same player we all know as a team and the coaches. If we really need a bucket, just give Zay the ball, clear out the side, and let him go to work.

But he's just done a good job of playing well together with me, Charlie, Jordan, and Sam, just our togetherness is really what's been the biggest difference, making each other better. He creates shots for others. We create shots for him. I just think our whole dynamic of sharing the ball, making each other better, has helped in general.

Zay is probably one of the better guards when it comes to scoring on his man, scoring one-on-one, the best shot maker in the country, in my opinion. He's a great player and he's done a lot of good stuff for us this year. I just hope he stays confident and he continues to help us in the ways he has this season throughout the tournament.

JIM LARRANAGA: We're excited to head on to the round of 32. Very proud of these guys, hard working young men who have put a tremendous season together, not just the regular season, but now postseason.

We love being a part of March Madness.

Q. Jordan just said this is the happiest he's ever seen you since he joined the team, that you're smiling more than he's seen you smile all season. Can you just talk about how you feel with this team right now? It really does seem to be a special group. How do you feel right now as the coach heading into tomorrow's game?

JIM LARRANAGA: Well, in actuality, what Jordan is seeing is something that I want them all to see. I think it's very important everybody be smiling and be happy and enjoy this experience. It doesn't happen all the time.

We've gone a few years without being to the dance. These guys have worked very, very hard to get our program back to the Big Dance. I'm enjoying it. I want them to enjoy it.

Q. I know over your career you've had tons of different rosters and lineups and approaches, but is this as guard heavy a team as maybe you've had over the course of a season and now into the tournament?

JIM LARRANAGA: No, I've had a lot of great guards throughout my career. If you look at our championship team, the Sweet 16 team back in 2013, Shane Larkin, Duran Scott, and Trey McKinney-Jones were great guards with Ryan Brown coming in off the bench. So that was a terrific guard team.

If you look at our Sweet 16 with Angel Rodriguez, Sheldon McCullen, Davon Reed, guys who are NBA caliber players. Then in 2018, we had JaQuan Newton, Lonny Walker, Chris Lykes, and Bruce Brown, until Bruce got hurt.

So we've had a lot of good guards, but these guys are very similar to them in the sense that they're all very capable of scoring the ball.

Q. What have you seen -- I know you probably haven't talked to Paul as much, but where have you seen him grow as a coach? Also, what have your interactions with Bruce Pearl been like over the years?

JIM LARRANAGA: I didn't hear the first part.

Q. Paul Burgo.

JIM LARRANAGA: For those who don't know, Mike Burgomaster was one of our managers, grad assistants. A tremendous young man who worked very, very hard. We've been fortunate. We've had success in recruiting managers and grad assistants. People might think what's the big deal, but those guys really make the program because at Miami, they do the laundry. They have all the equipment ready. They're the guys that rebound for the players, and they develop relationships.

In Burgo's case, he did such a great job, that when Auburn was looking for someone, we recommended Mike, and Bruce hired him. I've known Bruce a very, very long time since his days of being an assistant coach with Tom Davis. We've run across each other from time to time, but I don't believe our teams have ever faced, at least not as a head coach.

But he's done a great job wherever he's been. He's got a great team now. Someone said what's the difference between this team and other teams he's coached? I said, yeah, now he's got lottery picks. So that makes him a better coach.

Q. Talking to your guys up there, it seems like Charlie's transition to this team was fairly smooth. Was it indeed a smooth process for him? How much does his experience kind of help you as a coach? Because he's probably been so many places, he's got as much knowledge as anybody in the game about how to play this.

JIM LARRANAGA: And I would agree with that. Charlie has great knowledge and experience. And experience is two-sided. It can be good, and it can be bad. You learn from the bad, and hopefully that helps you improve so you can add more good to the next program.

In Charlie's case, he learned a lot from each of his stops. He came in, and he was a welcomed addition to our program. He's our point guard, we handed him the ball and said lead us. He's the catalyst. He makes things happen at both ends of the floor. His defense was rewarded by being first team All ACC and lead the ACC in steals.

His offense you see. He scores the ball at a high level. He can shoot the three. He makes clutch free throws. In a recent game, he had eight assists and one turnover. So he gets his teammates involved. And the guys love playing with him, and the coaches love working with him.

To me, he's been a Godsend for me because he's so enjoyable to be around. He's got a great smile, a great personality, and he's just a lot of fun to be with.

Q. I want to ask you about Sam. Jordan said that he's an extension of the coaching staff. Do you view him as an extension of the coaching staff, and what is it he brings you on and off the court?

JIM LARRANAGA: Most recently, and I'm not sure exactly when it was -- I think it was last week -- I said, do you think we should practice? He said no, and I said okay.

You have to value the opinions of your players, especially the veteran players who have been around a long time and have the pulse of the team. If we're tired and we need rest, if we haven't worked hard enough, no, Sam will say, we need to get up and down today.

Sam learned an awful lot last year when he sat out and he spent time scouting the opponent and scouting his own teammates and learning what a game plan was really all about and how important it was for the team to execute the game plan. It's not enough to know the game plan. You've got to execute the game plan, and it's not always easy because you've got to constantly make adjustments.

A good example would be against Southern Cal. Our game plan in the first half was perfect. They executed the plan, we have an 11-point lead at halftime, and we forced 12 turnovers when our goal was to force 15 to 20 turnovers in the game. In the second half, Southern Cal made the adjustments and came out and changed their starting lineup for the second half, hit some threes, which they didn't do in the first half, and now in turn we've got to make some adjustments. We were trying to trap, and in the first half it was successful because they missed the three. In the second half, it didn't work because they made the three.

So we started switching instead of trapping, and a lot has to do with Sam's ability to do all of those different things because it's oftentimes his man that's setting that first ball screen. It probably will be tomorrow as well. So if Sam can trap, that's great. If he can switch, that's great. If he can show, that's great. But those are three different skills, and Sam has all of them. That's what makes him such a great leader and why I think his teammates all appreciate all that he does.

He does it at both ends of the court. Those blocked shots he has and his ability to find the open man on offense.

Q. I don't think Burgo's doing any laundry anymore, but you mentioned Bruce having lottery picks. What does a guy like Jabari Smith and a Walker Kessler bring? How do you even game plan? I know you can't give the whole thing away, but just some thoughts on those guys and what they do.

JIM LARRANAGA: Walker Kessler is a transfer student, like so many guys who entered the transfer portal. Making an adjustment to a new program does take some time, but he's made such a smooth transition that he's having a sensational season and is likely to be the Defensive Player of the Year. And deservedly so. He rebounds. He blocks shots. He alters shots as well.

The great part for Bruce and Auburn is Jabari is the perfect complement, a tremendous shooter, a very athletic 6'10" Kevin Durant type player, and the two of them together give them a one-two punch that most teams just don't have.

Q. If you think back through all your tournaments -- Jeff Lamp, Lee Raker, Ralph Sampson, Jeff Jones, all the way back.

JIM LARRANAGA: You're really testing my memory. You know how old I am, right?

Q. I do. I do. I looked it up. Is the tournament always the same in the gut, or is it even better now? What is it about this event, do you think, that grabs people?

JIM LARRANAGA: Well, back when I was an assistant, I can tell you I felt tremendous pressure. I wanted to win so bad my gut was churning. When I became a head coach and realized how hard it was to get to the dance, I was like, man, when is this ever going to happen again?

Once we got there, I was bound and determined just to enjoy it because it was something that was going to be very, very special for me and my staff, for my team, and the first time we got there was in 1999 with George Mason, and we got crushed by Cincinnati in the first round. They had a great team, and we lost. But I was so thrilled that we got back there, and all I cared about was let's get back again and again and again.

When we made the Final Four in 2006, I told the players, look, you've got to have more fun than any other team. You've just got to enjoy the heck out of this. That's been our message this year to these guys. They've worked very, very hard to get us to this point. They're excited about being here, but the most fun is winning and advancing and keep playing and try to prove how good you are.

Q. Jim, you changed the offense this year from what you've typically run at least in your time at Miami. A lot of coaches have a hard time doing that. Obviously, yours was driven by the personnel that you had, but can you talk a little bit about the thought process that you went through? Was it difficult to get yourself to do that?

JIM LARRANAGA: The answer to that is, whether fortunately or unfortunately, I've had to do that constantly throughout my coaching career because in the recruiting process, at the stops that I've made, we have not been the premier program in the league where we get our pick of any recruits. So we've had to just find the guys that fit our program.

So I've coached teams that are very, very small but very quick and athletic and have had success. I've coached teams that are very big and thick and tall and strong, and we had to play a different style then. And we've had teams that are very inside oriented, back to the basket players that can really score in or around the goal.

This team is very different than that. We do not have a back to the basket player. We have basically perimeter players. So it was mandatory that my staff and I figure out how to take advantage of the skills that these players possess, and Charlie Moore, a point guard with perimeter skills, Isaiah Wong, Kam McGusty, Jordan Miller -- although Jordan may be the one guy who's comfortable around the basket. Even Sam Waardenburg, he's basically a stretch four shooting threes or driving the ball to the basket. He doesn't play as a post-up player.

We don't really have anyone unless you would include Rodney Miller, who just hasn't played much this year.

Q. When you're ad nauseam during tournament time about how this team would only go as far as their guards take them. We hear it over and over. Is that a lazy media talking point, or is it closer to the gospel truth when we get down to these win-or-go-home scenarios?

JIM LARRANAGA: I definitely think you just have to play well. Whether you're big and slow or small and quick or you've got great three-point shooters or great inside players. Whatever your style is, you've got to really be able to execute your style against your opponent and matchups are critical.

Again, our game plan against Southern Cal was to try to force turnovers. They had 12 in the first half. Second half, they handled the pressure much better, and we had to make adjustments. A lot of college basketball is matchups, and you see it throughout the tournament.

Q. One last thing from me. With Kessler and Smith, how many frontcourts in college basketball have you seen of that caliber with two guys like that, two lottery pick caliber players?

JIM LARRANAGA: Let me guess, you're from Auburn? (Laughter).

Q. The closest examples I can give you is programs that I'm familiar with because they're in our league. There aren't many programs throughout the country with guys like that, but in our league we had at Duke Mark Williams and Paolo Banchero. Mark Williams, a tremendous shot blocker; Banchero, a lottery pick with great offensive skills. And then you also have Armando Bacot and Brady Manek at Carolina, who again, Brady Manek can really shoot, and Bacot's a monster in and around the glass.

So we have faced teams like that, but these two guys at Auburn are special. You're not going to find many programs at the college level in any season with two players of their caliber. So very, very impressed with them.